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Are you torn between SE Ranking and SEMrush for your SEO needs?
With so many SEO tools available today, it can be challenging to determine which is the perfect fit for you.
If you’ve landed on this article, you most likely know that SE Ranking and SEMrush have nearly identical features and functionality.
So, what’s the difference between them, and which will help you climb to the top of the search engine ranking ladder?
Read more: Is It Possible To Do Your Own SEO?
Quick Summary
- Both tools are all-in-one, user-friendly SEO solutions that cater to beginners.
- SE Ranking is the more affordable choice, but its feature set isn’t as extensive as SEMrush’s.
- SEMrush’s keyword database has over 25 billion keywords, surpassing SE Ranking’s 7 billion keyword database.
- Both tools offer equally impressive content optimization features, but when it comes to social media management, SEMrush integrates with more platforms and is the superior choice.
SE Ranking vs SEMrush 2024
If you’re facing the dilemma of choosing between SE Ranking and SEMrush, you’re not alone!
Both are popular SEO tools that provide all the tools you need to stay ahead of the competition.
So, which do you choose? Well, that’s where I step in.
In this honest SE Ranking and SEMrush comparison, I’ll explore their features, pricing, ease of use, and more to help you figure out which will skyrocket your SEO efforts to new heights.
So, without any further delay, let’s dive straight into this SEO battle and find out which tool is best for you!
Read more: How Much Is SEO For Small Business?
What Are They? SE Ranking vs SEMrush
In my opinion, SEMrush reigns supreme as one of the best (if not the best!) SEO options in the market since its inception in 2008.
This is because SEMrush goes beyond traditional SEO features, positioning itself as an all-in-one digital marketing suite!
Alongside essential keyword research, competitor analysis, website audits, on-page checkers, and position-tracking features, SEMrush offers additional digital marketing tools like content optimization and social media management.
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced SEO guru, SEMrush is an invaluable tool for you.
SE Ranking has quickly emerged as one of SEMrush’s biggest competitors since its launch in 2013.
Also describing itself as a one-stop-SEO shop, SE Ranking has all the essential features for keyword research, site audits, competitor analysis, rank tracking, and backlink management.
Its user-friendly and intuitive keyword database, site audit, and on-page SEO checker tools suit professionals and beginners alike!
As you can see, both sound impressive – but which one is better for you?
What Are The Differences Between SE Ranking vs SEMrush?
Both SEMrush and SE Ranking share many similarities when it comes to their SEO features and capabilities.
So, are there any real differences between them?
SEMrush is the stronger tool overall, offering robust features for teams looking for in-depth insights and valuable recommendations to enhance their SEO strategies.
Additionally, SEMrush’s keyword database trumps SE Ranking, with over 25 billion keywords compared to SE Ranking’s 7 billion.
On the flip side, SEMrush comes at a higher cost.
While not as mighty as SEMrush, SE Ranking still stands as a fantastic SEO tool to kickstart your optimization journey!
Plus, SEMrush only provides data for Google, whereas SE Ranking provides data for Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines.
Okay, now that you can see how SEMrush and SE Ranking stack up against each other, let’s dive into specifics.
Read more: SEMrush vs Moz
Ease Of Use
You’ll be pleased to know that the onboarding and setting up process for both tools is straightforward! However, the dashboard is where the two platforms differ.
SE Ranking’s interface is intuitive and easy to use, with its tools divided into five main menu options.
There’s also a personal assistant and live chat option for additional support (although the user-friendly layout makes it easy for beginners to navigate without assistance!)
And SE Ranking’s Marketing Plan handy SEO roadmap guides you through effective marketing strategies, which, trust me – is helpful for beginners and advanced users!
While SEMrush takes a different approach, it doesn’t sacrifice simplicity.
The dashboard shows all your data in a visually appealing way, and you’re able to see your key metrics, ranking, and more on one easy-to-read interface.
However, this may overwhelm some users!
SEMrush’s learning curve is certainly steeper than SE Ranking’s, and beginners may need to invest some time learning the ropes. (but once you do, I promise you’ll love it!)
Winner = SE Ranking.
Read more: SEO Power Suite vs SEMrush.
Pricing
SE Ranking:
- Essential: $55 per month (1 user).
- Pro: $109 per month (3 users).
- Business: $239 per month (5 users).
Each additional user is $20 per month.
SEMrush:
- Pro: $129.95 per month.
- Guru: $249.95 per month.
- Business: $499.95 per month.
These plans are for one user only. Each additional user is $45 per month.
Winner = SE Ranking.
SE Ranking vs SEMrush Key Features
Keyword Research
Keyword research is where SE Ranking and SEMrush shine, and both offer three essential sections for keyword research.
- Keyword Overview.
- Related Keywords.
- SERP Analysis.
The Keyword Overview feature provides crucial information such as search volume, keyword difficulty, search intent, and CPC for a chosen country/region.
When searching for the same keyword on both tools, I noticed some differences in the keyword overviews provided by both tools.
However, recent updates have made SE Ranking’s keyword overview more similar to SEMrush’s, incorporating additional metrics and infographics for a detailed analysis.
Both tools present keyword search volume, difficulty, trend, CPC, and global data.
And although the data may not be an exact match, they’re relatively close!
A cool feature that SEMrush offers is Keyword Clusters, which breaks down particular keywords into numerous ranking and related low-keyword difficulty keywords.
SE Ranking doesn’t offer this instant feature, but you can use their Keyword Grouping Tool for keyword clustering.
To find related and semantic keywords, SE Ranking has a Keyword Suggestions Tool, while SEMrush provides a Keyword Magic Tool.
Both tools offer numerous related keywords that can be filtered based on keyword difficulty, SERP features, volume, and CPC.
The results from SE Ranking are simple and well-categorized, whereas those from SEMrush are more detailed.
The number of keywords listed on each platform varies, which makes sense, considering SEMrush’s database is over four times bigger!
Overall, SEMrush has won this round due to its colossal keyword database and various keyword research tools!
Winner = SEMrush.
Read more: Similarweb vs SEMrush.
Position Tracking
Wondering how your web pages are ranking?
SE Ranking’s Rank Tracker is a powerful tool for monitoring rankings across multiple search engines like Google, Bing, YouTube, and Yahoo.
You can track rankings based on location and device, offering valuable data on various aspects including:
- SERP features (like snippets or videos).
- Ad positions.
- Maps search results.
- And finally, position tracking!
And SE Ranking’s competitive intelligence features let you spy on the rankings of up to 20 competitors to see how well they’re performing! (more on this soon).
SEMrush’s Position Tracking Tool operates similarly, allowing you to track ranking keywords over time – and compare your results with your competitors!
This is so important, as it helps you identify whether your rankings are improving or if you need to up your game.
SEMrush’s Position Tracking tool is slightly more detailed, letting you group tracked keywords using tags to access and analyze different sets of data whenever needed.
Winner = SEMrush.
Read more: Ubersuggest vs SEMrush.
Backlinks
SE Ranking prides itself on having one of the largest backlink databases in the market, regularly crawling over 220 million domains!
Its backlink checker tool allows you to assess your and your competitors’ backlink profiles.
This tool provides valuable data on various aspects, including:
- Domain trust.
- Page trust.
- Dofollow/nofollow ratio.
- New and lost referring domains.
Additionally, you can analyze the link type (text or image) and when the link was first and most recently identified through SE Ranking’s crawler.
On the other hand, SEMrush’s database has over 40 trillion links and offers a comprehensive suite of five different backlink analysis tools.
These tools include:
- Backlink Analytics: Can analyze every backlink within any domain or URL.
- Backlink Audit: Helps you monitor your own backlink profile.
- Bulk Backlink Analysis: Analyzes multiple of your competitor’s backlinks.
- Backlink Gap: Identifies any backlink opportunities.
SEMrush is the winner here as they offer a more in-depth range of backlink analysis tools and additional features that can help improve your website’s backlink profile!
Winner = SEMrush.
Read more: How Often Does SEMrush Update?
Competitor Analysis
Assessing your competitors’ SEO and PPC strategies is critical to helping your brand grow.
But don’t worry! Both SE Ranking and SEMrush offer robust competitor analysis tools that can do just that.
SE Ranking’s Competitor Research feature lets you examine your competitors’:
- Traffic.
- Keywords.
- Backlinks.
- Domain and page trust.
- Ads.
- Most popular pages.
- And historical data.
This provides insights into traffic trends, the types of keywords driving traffic to competitors, and profitable ads, all of which can inform your very own SEO strategy; how exciting!
SEMrush’s Competitor Analysis Tool includes traffic analytics, organic research, advertising research, brand monitoring, and social media tracking.
These tools operate in a similar fashion, but there is one difference!
SEMrush’s in-depth brand monitoring and social media tracking tools help monitor your and your competitors’ online mentions.
These tools analyze sentiment, estimated reach, and referral traffic, giving you new ideas and opportunities for your brand!
Another win to SEMrush!
Winner = SEMrush.
Read more: Is SEMrush Worth It?
SE Ranking vs SEMrush Additional Tools
Content Optimization
SE Ranking’s On-Page SEO Checker analyzes the optimization level of your website pages relating to a specific search query.
Basically, it generates an in-depth report highlighting areas for improvement and then tells you what you need to do to enhance optimization.
This tool examines the URL structure, keyword usage, header tags, and internal and external links.
Alongside an On-Page SEO Checker (similar to SE Ranking), SEMrush also offers a built-in SEO Content Template and SEO Writing Assistant.
Because these tools are all wrapped up nicely within your subscription, you won’t need to purchase a separate content optimization software!
Recently, SE Ranking introduced its very own AI Writer and Content Editor (at an additional add-on price).
Winner = Draw.
Read more: What Is SEMrush? Breakdown for Beginners.
Social Media Management
Did you know that both SE Ranking and SEMrush integrate social media management tools as part of their monthly subscription SEO service?
So, how do they stack up?
SE Ranking’s Social Media Management feature assesses data and advises the best time to post to Facebook and Twitter according to your target audience.
It also provides a handy dashboard showing you what content has been the most successful on social media.
On the other hand, SEMrush’s Social Media Management Tool is more advanced.
It connects with a broader range of platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google Business Profile.
And with the ability to post to all your social media profiles simultaneously, you can simply track the outcomes via the analytics dashboard!
And with SEMrush, you can even schedule your posts ahead of time and manage paid ads on Facebook and Instagram within your SEMrush account.
Based on the wider range of social media platforms it connects with, SEMrush once again comes out on top!
Winner = SEMrush.
SE Ranking vs SEMrush Customer Support
SE Ranking offers several (basic) support options.
You can fill out a contact form on their website or reach out to their support team through email and WhatsApp on weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm.
SEMrush, on the other hand, offers three customer support channels: chat, email, and phone, and offers a help chat box on each web page for around-the-clock assistance.
Winner = SEMrush.
SE Ranking vs SEMrush Who Are They Best For?
SE Ranking and SEMrush are both powerful SEO tools, but they’re not for everyone.
If you’re looking for a user-friendly, cost-effective SEMrush alternative – you will love what SE Ranking offers.
Even though SEMrush dominated SE Ranking in our features comparison, SE Ranking doesn’t skimp on functionality!
With an affordable price tag and a comprehensive range of features, SE Ranking is perfect for you if you’re just starting with SEO (or on a budget).
SEMrush targets a broader user base, from small teams to larger enterprises, marketing agencies, and SEO professionals.
SEMrush provides robust competitor analysis, in-depth keyword research, comprehensive backlink analysis, and additional digital marketing tools.
With advanced features and data-driven insights, it’s the ideal choice for businesses and marketers serious about understanding their market and competitors.
Stew’s Final Thoughts
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of my detailed comparison article between SE Ranking vs SEMrush.
So, what would I would recommend for small businesses?
While SE Ranking is undoubtedly a valuable option (and suitable for many small businesses), I would still suggest SEMrush for my small business clients.
I know I know…..it is expensive. But the value it provides by covering all your SEO needs is undeniable.
Once you experience the capabilities of SEMrush, I assure you that you won’t want to go back!
I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you agree with me?
